Advertising apparatus.



G. BROWN.

ADVERTISING APPARATUS.

v APPLICATION FILED 1130.19, 1912.

Patented Oct. 20, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SEEE CHIH-LLC immuun QED NARN -1 lkw--- /n venfar Garre/ Br0W/1 Winesses G. BROWN.

ADVERTISING APPAIMI'IUS.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.19, 1912.

1,1 14,223. Patented Oct. 20, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Wwf/W G. BROWN. ADvERTlsING APPARATUS.

APPLIGATION FILED DBO.19, 1912.

Patented Oct. 20, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

/HVeH/or 1 arre/ Brow/1 l To all whom t may concern ing in the direction indicated by the arrow 7 UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

ASSIGNOR DEMONSTB-ATING- COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A'CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

ADvERTIsING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 19, 1912. .Serial No. 737,688.

Beit known that I, GARRE'IT BROWN, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Advertising Apparatus, ofl which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in` the art to which it appertains to make-and use the same, reference being had to the'acompanying drawings, forming part of this. Specification, vinwhi'ch- A Figure l`is a front'elevationell View of an advertisinglapparatus of 1n improved construction With parts `at t e ends' thereof broken away .in order to more clearly illustrate parts of the actuating mechanism of the apparatus. Fig. 2 is a vertical section' taken approximately on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken approximately on the line 3-3 of Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a detail section of a vportion of the curtain or flexible member which carries the advertising cards and showing the means utilized for attaching the cards to said curtain or flexible member. Fig. 5 is a detailV elevational view -of the parts seen looking in the direction indicated by the arrow 5 in. Fig; 1. Fig. 6 is a horizontal section taken approximately on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a plan View of the parts seen lookin Fig. 1. Fig. 8 is a horizontal section taken approximately on the line 8-8 of Fig. 1. Fig. 9 is a detail sectional View taken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 8. Fig. 10 is a detail sectional view taken approximately on the line 10-10 of Fig. 7. Fig. 11 is a detail sectional view taken approximately on the line 11-11 of Fig. 7.

This invention relates to that'class of advertising devices wherein a flexible member, such as a curtain carrying a series of advertising cards, yis wound from one roller or drum onto another, the motion of which curtain is intermittent 'in order that the cards l carried thereby may be successively brought to view directly behind the opening in the fro-nt of the box or housing of the apparatus. e The principal object of my invention is to provide a comparatively simple, inexpensive i and compact advertising apparatus which waiting rooms, hotel lobbies and in-store windows.

. .A further object of Inyinvention is to construct a comparatively 'simple advertising apparatus wherein 'a series 'of advertising cards carried by a curtain are successively displayed, and which curtain after being wound by intermittent 'movement from 4one roller to another is automatically rewound onto one o-f said rollers during which movement the sight opening in the housing through which the 'cards are viewed is closed by a flexible member, thereby hiding the cards frornview during the time the card carrying curtain or flexible member is re- Wound lonto the feeding or delivery roller.

A further object of my invention is to provide means whereby the advertising cards may be readily positioned upon or removed from the flexible member or curtain, thus making it possible to easily and quickly To NATIONAI'. ADVERTISING a.

parts hereinafter .more fully described and claimed.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings, 1 designates the box or hous ing of the apparatus, the same being preferably constructed of sheet metal, and formed in the front wall of said housing is a. rectangular opening 2 through which the advertising cards are viewed. Located on the left hand end of the housing is a vertically disposed plate 3 which" forms a support for` parts of the operating mechanism of the apparatus, and located in the right hand end of the housing is a corresponding plate 4 which forms a support for parts of the 'op-v erating mechanism.

Journaled in suitable bearings formed in the lower portions ofthe plates 3 and 4 is a shaft 5, to which is fixed a feed or delivery roller 6. and fixed on the right hand end of this shaft outside the plate 4 is a pinion 7.

i This pinion meshes with the teeth of a circular rack formed on the exterior of a drum- 8, which latter is vloosely mounted on a shaft 'l 9. the latter being journaled in a bracket 1x0 that is fixed to the plate 4. The outer end of a helicalspring 11 is fixed to the drum 8 and the inner end of said spring is fixed to the shaft 9. The shaft 9 carries a ratchet wheel 12, the teeth of which are engaged by a spring pressed pawl 13. The outer end ofthe shaft 9 is made square or non-circular in order to be engaged by a key when it is desired to rotate said shaft to increase the tension of the spring 11. The pawl 13 is utilized for holding the shaft 9 against reverse rotary motion when the tension of the spring has been increased.

Journaled for rotation in suitable bearings in the upper portions of the plates 3 and 4 is a shaftl4 carrying a roller 15 which is of the same size as the roller 6, and journaled in suitable bearings in the central portions of the plates 3 and-4 and at a point approximately midway between the shafts 5 and -14 is -a shaft 16 carrying a roller 17. This last mentioned roller may be termed the receiving roller for the reason that it receives the card carrying curtain or flexible member as the same is unwound from the feed or delivery roller 6 during thev operation of the apparatus.

The advertising card carryingvmember 18 comprises a length o-r section of flexible material, such as leather or fabric, one end of which is fixed to the roller 6, and the opposite end to the roller 17. During the operation of the apparatus, the flexible member in passing from one roller to the other passes over the idle roller 15. `Fixed tothe side edges o f the flexible member 18 are narrow bands 19 of leather orflexible metal, the same being perforated in order to receive the teeth of driving wheels 20, the same being mounted on a shaft 21, which latter is journaled in suitable bearings in the plates 3 and 4. y

The advertising cardsdisplayed by my improved apparatus can be attached to the flexible member 18 in any suitable manner, but I prefer to fold the flexible, member 18 transversely at suitable distances apart and to insert the top and bottom edges of the advertising and to attach the cards to the flexible memberby means of smallmetal clips 22 which engage the edges of the cards and the folds formed in said flexible member. By this arrangement, the advertising cards can be readily positioned upon or removed from the flexibley member or curtain 18.

- Fixed on suitable supports within the housing and preferably near the plate 4 is a small motor 23 on the shaft of which Iis fixed a worm 24, the same engaging with a Wjorm wheel 25. This worm wheel is carried by a shaft 26 which is journaled in suitable bearings on the' plate 4,'and fixed on said -shaft is a small pulley 27. Fixed to the upper portion of the plate 4 is ai bracket 28-and journaled therein and inV said plate 4 is a shaft 29 carrying a pulley 30, and connecting this pulley with the small pulley`27 isa belt 31. v c

`is a grooved collar 38.

`on the bracket 28. cards in the slots formed by. folding sa1d member 18 as shown in Fig. y4

Fixed on the shaft 29 is a disk 32 provided in its edge with a series of gear teeth 33, thus forming a mutilated gear. Loosely mounted on the shaft 21 and held against longitudinal movement thereon by collars 34 is'a mutilated pirion35, the teeth of which are adapted to Vgage with the teeth 33 of the disk 32, and the plain portion 35a of the edge of this mutilated pinion is adapted to engage with the plain edge 32a of the disk 32. By the construction just described, the continuous rotary motlon iinparted to the shaft 29 is converted into intermittent motion and thus transmitted to Y the shaft 21.

Fixed on the shaft 21 immediately adja-y cent the plate 4 is a disk 36 provided with p a clutch face and adapted to engage therewith is a corresponding clutch face of a d isk 37, which latter is mounted for sliding movement upon the shaft 21 between said l disk 36 and the pinion 35. Loosely mounted on the outer portion of the shaft 21 Fixed thereto is a pair of,pins 39 which pass through suit able apertures formed in the pinion 35 and the inner ends of said pins are seated in the disk 37.

Fixed on the outer end of the shaft 21 is a small pinion 40 which meshes with a large gear wheel 41 which is loosely mounted on the shaft 29. Theratio between the gear wheel 41 and pinion 40 corresponds to the number of advertising cards carried by, the flexible member 18, for instance,if there are 10 cards mounted on the. flexible member, then the ratio between the gear wheeland pinion must be 10.

Fixed to the inner face of the gear wheel 41 is a lug 42 which is adapted to engage t-he end of a pin 43, which latter is mounted for sliding movement in a suitable bearing This pin is provided with one or more notches 44 and adapted to engage therein is a locking pin 45 carried by a pivoted dog 46, the upper end of which is adapted'to be engaged by the lug 42. The pin 45 is normally drawn downward into locking position by a spring 47 and thus when the pin 43 is moved outward away from the shaft '29 by engagement of the lug 42, the locking pin 45 is drawn downward into one\of the notches 44, thereby locking said pin 43 in its withdrawnposition.

Fixed to the outer end of the pin 43 is one end of a link 48, the opposite end of which is pivotally connected to the, outer end of an arm 49 which latter is fixed to a vertically disposed shaft 50. This shaft is journaled in suitable bearings on the bracket 28 and on the plate 4 and fixed on said shaft is a pair of arms 52 the outer ends of which carry a ring 53, which latter is positioned in the groove of the disk 3S. A retractile vcoil spring 54 is connected to .onev pf the 35 with the face of the disk 37 in engagement with the Iclutch face of the disk 36.

J ournaled for rotation in suitable bearings on the plate 3 is a vertically disposed shaft 55, and xed on the lower end thereof is a beveledpinion 56 which meshes with a corresponding pinion 57, the latter being fixed on the corresponding end of the shaft 5; Fixed on the end of the shaft 16 which projects through the plate 3 is a beveled pinion 58 which meshes with a corresponding pinion 59 that is loosely mounted on the sha t 55. Fixed to the plate 3 and projecting outwardly therefrom is a bifurcated bracket 60 through which, the shaft 5'5 passes, and fixed to the underside of this bracket is a disk of leather or analogous material. Arranged to slide on the shaft 55 and normally located immediately beneath ried by the lower ends of a pair of Vertically disposed spring members 62 which extend upward on opposite sides of the shaft and the upper ends of said spring members are fixed to a collar 63, the same being fixed toksaid shaft 55. Fixed to the collar 63 is the lower end of a torsional spring 65, the upper end of which is fixed to the hub of the pinion 59.

Jcurnaled in suitable bearings in the plates 3 and 4 below and in front of the shaft 5 is a roller 66, and journaled in suitable bearings'above and in front of the shaft 14 is a corresponding roller 68. Fixed to the upper corners of the curtain 71 and projecting rearwardly therefrom are short pins 72 which are adapted to be engaged by fingers 73 which project outwardly from the flexible member 18 near its ends. The parts just described provide means for raising the curtain 71 to close the opening 2 during the time the flexible member 18 is being re- Wound onto the feed or delivery roller 6.

The operation of my improved apparatus is as follows: The entire operating mechanism of the apparatus is driven from the motor 23, the rotary motionof the motor shaft being transmitted to the shaft 26 by means of the worm 24 and worm Wheel 25. Belt 31 operating on the pulleys 27 and 30 transmits the rotary motion to shaft 29 and as the disk 32 is rotated the plain edge 32a rides upon the plain edge 35 of the pinion 35 without imparting movement to said pinion until the teeth 33 engage with the teeth of said pinion. `When such engagement takes place, shaft 21 is partially rotated for the reason that the pinion 35 is locked to said shaft 21 by means of the pins 39 which are seated in the disk 37 which latter is locked to the disk 36 by means of the engaging clutch faces 'and said disk`36 being fixed to said shaft 21. As the 'shaft roller 17.

21 is thus partially rotated, the teeth of'tthe driving wheels 20 carried by said shaft 7engage in the openings in the tapes 19, thereby imparting movement to said tapes and to the flexible member 18 which carries the advertising cards. Thus said member is partially unwound from the roller-6 and is ylikewise partially Wound upon the receiving Such-action moves the member 1 8 a distance equal to the height of one advertising card and thus the cards are successively brought into view through the opening 2 in the front Wall ofthe housing. The member 18 unwinding from the roller 6 rotates the same and as a result of such movement, the drum 8 to which the oute' end of. the spring 11 is xed ispartially rotated, thereby partially windingv upl said spring and storing, power therein, such action being brought about by the.l engage- 1 ment of the pinion 7 with the teeth on said thedisk 60 is a friction disk 61 which is cardrum. As the shaft 5 is rotated, lthe pinion 57'meshing'with the pinion 56 impartsrotary movement to the shaft 55, and the pinion 59 carried by the spring 65 which in turn is-carried by the collar 63 meshing with the pinion 58 .imparts rotaryl motion to the shaft 16 and thus the mem'- ber 18 is Xwound upon the drum 17 carried by said shaft 16. This intermittent movement imparted to the advertising card carrying member takes place during the time the teeth 33 are in engagement` with the teeth ofthe pinion 35, and during the time the plain edge 32 of said disk is in ,engagement with the plain edge 35a of the disk .35, no movement is imparted to the shaft 21 and consequently the driving wheels 20 are not actuated.

f During the time the shaft 21 andv driving wheels are atrest, one of the advertising cards is positioned immediately behind the openmg 2 in the housing and is thus displayed to view'. At the time the last one of the series of cards is in position behind the opening 2, the fingers 73 on, the lower portions of the tapes or strips 19 are engaged beneath the projections 72 and the succeeding movement imparted to the rollers'', 15 and 17 causes said fingers 73 to bear against the projections 72 and move the same upward to the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3 and thus the curtain 71. is 'drawn upward so as to close the opening 2. During the time the member -18 is intermittently wound upon the roller 17, the gear wheel 41 has been intermittently rotated by reason of its engagement with the intermittently rotating pinion 40 carried by the outer end of the shaft 21, and said gear-'Wheel 41 makes .one complete revolution during the'time all of the cards have been displayed. The final movement imparted to the shaft 21, and which movement raises the curtain 71 as just described, actuates the gear wheel 41 so that '-3 to one side,

the lug 42 on the rear side thereof bears against the inner end of the pin 43 and causes the same to slide through its bearing and the end of the sliding movement of said pin, the locking pin 45 drops into one of the notches 44, thus holding said pin 43 in its shifted position. As said pin 43 is moved outward, the link 48 connected to said pin draws the outer end of the arm 49 thereby partially locking the shaft 50 and this movement swings the free ends of the arms 52 carrying the ring 53, outward, thereby moving the grooved disk 38 outward upon the end of the shaft 21 and by means of the pins 39, the disk 37 is drawn away from the disk 36, thereby disengaging the clutch faces on -said disks and the shaft 21 is now free to be continuously rotated in the direction reverse to that of its prior movement and 'thus reverse rotary movement is brought about by the power stored in the coil spring 11, which, as here'-y tofore described, has been wound up during the time the member 18 was unwound from the roller 6 and wound onto the roller 17. The power of the spring 11 is exerted on the drum 8, thereby causing the'same `to rotate reversely and this rotary motion is l transmitted to shaft 5, from thence to shaft 55 through thev pinions 56 and 57 and from thence to shaft 16 through pinions 58 and 59 and asa result the entire lengthv of the member 18 carrying the cards will be un,` wound from the roller 17 and rewound onto roller 6 thereby setting themachine for the successive display of the entire series of cards.

During the ret-urn of the member 18 and the cards to the roller 6, the curtain 71 is maintained in position behind the opening 2 and after the lastcard has passed downward behind said curtain, the fingers 73 on the tapes 19 engage the projections 72 which-are positioned as shown 4by dot-ted lines in Fig. 3, and said projections are moved downward, thereby unwinding the tapes from the roller 68 and movin@ the upper edge of the curtain 71 into position below the bottom of the opening 2. It will'- be .understood that the. sprlngsl coperating with rollers 66 and 68 are approximately balanced and while of suiiicient strength to take up the slack in tapes 70 and curtain 71 when said parts are wound onto their respective rollers, the tension of the spring co-v operating with roller 68 is not` sufficient to raise 4the curtain 71 when it is`wound on-to roller 66. As this action takes place, the lu 42 on the rear side of the gear wheel 41 i moving in a direction reverse to that of its intermittent forward movement and said lug on the final movement of said gear- `wheel strikes against the end of the pivoted member 46 and as a result the pin 45' is elevated, thereby releasing the p1n 43 and 'the same will slide back to its normal position under the influence of the spring 54, which spring is connected to the arms 52. This movement restores the parts 49 and 48 to their normal positions and moves the disk 70 38 upon the-shaft 21 so that the clutch face of the disk 37 is rengaged with the clutch face of the disk 36 and the parts are now set to again intermittently wind the member 18 from the roller 6 onto the roller 17 and thus 75 successively bring said advertising cards on said member 18 into position to the rear of the opening 2 where they may be readily observed.

The-initial pull of the spring 11 to bring 30 about the reverse movement of the parts as just described will tend to cause said parts to operate at considerable speed and to ofi'- set this action, I provide the governor comprising the weighted spring members 62 85 which, when the shaft 55 rotates at high speed, act to raise the disk 61 against the leather disk on the underside of the bracket 60 and thus said disk 61 performs the function of a brake to retard and regulate the speed at which the parts move during the reverse winding of the member 18. The spring 65 forms a yielding connection between thedisk 63 and the pinion 59 and compensates for any differential rotary movement of the shaft 16 due to the increase of diameter as the member 18 winds onto the rollercarried by said shaft.

An apparatus of my improved construction is comparatively simple, is entirely automatic in operation, can be operated with `a comparatively small motor and provides simple means for intermittently and suocessiveley displaying advertising cards and thelike in street and railway cars, hotel lobbies, waiting rooms and in show windows. The flexible member 18 can be made in any length to accommodate any number of advertising cards and by providing the transverse folds in said member and utilizing small metal clips the cards can be readily positioned upon or removed from said iieXible member. If it is desired to vary the periods of time during which the cards are displayed, it is onlynecessary to change the relative sizes of the mutilated gears 32 and 35.

It will be readily understood that minor changes in the size, form `and construction of the various parts of my improved advertising apparatus can be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the spirit of my invention'the scope ofwhich is set forth in the appended claims.

L claim:` 1. In an advertising apparatus of the class described, aflexible member which is folded transversely to provide slots, advertising cards positioned on said flexible member with their upper and lower edges seated in the 13o 35 member, and means coperating With said4 intime slots therein, and means for fastening the cards to the flexible member.

In an advertising apparatus of the class described, a pair of rollers, a flexible member arranged to wind from one roller onto the other, perforated tapes attached to the edges ol said flexible member, lmeans including toothed wheels which engage the perforated tapes for intermittently moving the same and the flexible member from one roller onto the other, automatically operating spring actuated means for rewinding the flexible member onto one of the rollers, and a centrifugal governor cooperating with said rewindingmeans for controlling the speed thereof during the rewinding operation.

3. In an advertising apparatus of the class described, a housing having an opening, 1a b e pair of .rollers within the housing, a lexi to wind from one roller member arranged onto the other, which flexible member is adapted to carry detachable advertising cards, means including a pair of toothed wheels which directly engage the side edges of the Ilexible member at points between the rollers for intermittently moving the same a distance approximately equal to the Width ol' one oi' the advertising cards carried by the flexible member so that said advertising cards are sur-.cessi vel y displayed through the opening in the housing, a spring cooperating with the roller from which the fleXible meinber is unwound, which spring is Wound up during the unwinding movement of said rollers for governing the rotation thereof during the time the spring is acting to rotate the roller and unwind the flexible member thereupon. i

4. In an advertising apparatus of the class f described, a housing having an opening, a pair of rollers Within the housing, a flexible member arranged to Wind from one roller onto the other, which flexible member adapted to carry cards, means engaging the side edges of the flexible member for intermittentlymoving the same a distance approximately equal tothe Width of one of the advertising cards carried by the flexible member so that said advertising cards are successively displayed through the opening in the housing, a spring cooperating With oneof the rollers for rewinding the flexiblemember thereunto after the flexible member has been intermittently wound onto the opposite roller, means for automatically releasing the revvinding spring when the flexible member has been unWoun from the roller with which said spring is associated, and an automatic governor for controlling the speed of the spring driven roller during the rewinding ofthe flexible member thereupon.'

In testimon whereof I hereunto affix my signature in t e presence of two Witnesses, this 16th day of December, 1912.

GARRETT BROWN. Witnesses: M. P. SMITH,

M. A. HANDEL.

detachable yadvertising .f 

